The Lives of Dax

I really, really liked this--more than I thought I would. Technically, this isn't a novel, but a short story anthology, but it reads more like a novel given its structure and subject--Dax, the Trill symbiont in its various nine lives. As the editor said in the Introduction, "Dax is a living anthology--a collection of stories. The book would be too." And it works--beautifully. Each of the hosts, Lela, Tobin, Emony, Audrid, Torias, Joran, Curzon, Jadzia gets their own story by different authors--with Ezri bookending the anthology. And because Dax's existence spans the history of the federation, almost all the stories have a tie-in to the Star Trek universe with such characters as T'Pau, Doctor Leonard McCoy, Christopher Pike, Saavik, show more Sisko and Vic Fontaine featured in the various stories.

A lot of the Star Trek pro fiction strikes me as bland, but for the most part these are very strong stories--even one by an official Star Trek author, S.D. Perry, whose novel Cloak I had recently tried and found lacking. Her entry, "Sins of the Mother" turned out suspenseful, stylish and imaginative. And she co-authored one of my favorite stories in the book, the noir-ish "Allegro Ouroboros in D Minor." Steven Barnes "The Music Between the Notes" was notable for his strong science fiction premises, and "Reflections" by L.A. Graf not just a touching story about Jadzia but a well put together mystery. I think the weakest link was Michael Jan Friedman's "Old Souls." It was told largely from the perspective of a teenage Leonard McCoy, and I just was never convinced I was hearing the authentic voice of the young Bones. But otherwise the stories handled the characters and Star Trek universe well and I really liked how the bookend stories by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens tied it all together. I can't imagine fans of Star Trek fiction being disappointed by this one; it made a great read. show less

Maybe it is because I have been so used to rote Star Wars books, but I was surprised at how readable and engaging many of these stories were. I don't think the collection quite coheres, and the conceit that the characters have some kind of common thread by means of the Dax "symbiont" is not really borne out by the results, as all of Dax characters were quite different. It may be that text is not a good vehicle for this kind of storytelling, and we need actors to convey these kind of characters.

Each of Dax's hosts gets a story. The stories are well done. The reference to the 1st contact with Earth inclusion in Lela's story seemed unnecessary.

A really pleasant trip through Dax's lives that does a good job of making those lives feel more "real." Fits right in with the series in a super enjoyable way.

The angsty story where Sisko was all horny was annoying enough that I deducted a star.

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13771747